Display stand



A. L. SNAPE March 20, 1962 DISPLAY STAND Filed June 15, 1960 INVENTOR. A/fred L. 5/70 0 awa/n 8 His fllfomeys United States Patent() 3,025,968 DISPLAY STAND Alfred L. Snape, Stoughton, Mass, assignor to The Gillette Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 15, 1960, Ser. No. 36,321 5 Claims. (Cl. 21159) This invention relates generally to display devices and more particularly to a new and improved hookboard type of display device.

In hookboard display devices of a type heretofore commonly used, it has been the practice to employ merchan disc-supporting hooks having an end portion thereof bent at a sharp angle with respect to the shank of the hook and provided with a further bend forming a heel portion spaced from the bent end portion by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the hook-supporting board or panel. The end portion of the hook is then passed through a hole in the panel and the hook is supported in an extended position by the bent end portion engaging the rear face of the panel and the heel portion engaging the front face thereof. This provides a satisfactory means of supporting the hook where the panel is made of a strong, rigid material. However, where the panel is made from a readily compressible or deflectible material such as cardboard, for example, the continuous forces applied to the panel at the locations engaged by such a hook when merchandise is supported thereby over an extended period of time often cause the material to give at these locations and permit the hook to sag and drop the merchandise.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved display device of the hookboard type wherein the reacting forces of the hook against the panel are distributed over a wide area, thereby tolerating the use of panels made from less strong and rigid material than has heretofore been possible without permitting the hooks to sag under a sustained load of merchandise.

Among further objects of the invention are the provision of a novel and improved display device of the hookboard type wherein the hooks are resiliently retained in the panel to prevent accidental dislodgement thereof, wherein the hooks are swingable against the panel for storage and shipment, and wherein hooks are interconnected in multiples for improved operation and added convenience.

The device of my invention may include in its structure two elements, viz. a slitted card of resilient sheet material and a hook assembly that may be constructed of heavy metal wire. The slits or the card may be resiliently forced open to receive retainer portions of the hook assembly and then close of themselves to prevent accidental disengagement thereof.

The hook assembly may include a carrier rod and retainers that hear an offset relation to each other and cooperate to hold the hook members of the assembly projecting at an angle with respect to the card and in convenient position to display a suspended assortment of packages or the like.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the complete device, and

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view in section on the line 22 of FIG. 1 and on a larger scale.

The device as herein shown includes a rectangular panel of resilient sheet material, such as cardboard, fibreboard or synthetic resinous compound. It may be supported in any convenient manner as by triangular wings 11 folded as a part of the card or attached thereto. The

across its width and each formed with a hole 12 at both.

ends thus defining a resiliently bendable tongue above and below each slit. These tongues may be temporarily bent to open a slit and will immediately return to closed position when the deflecting force is removed. In other words, the tongues are biased to remain in the closed position shown in FIG. 1.

Each hook assembly is herein shown as constructed entirely of round steel or other stiff metal wire and includes a horizontally disposed carrier rod 13 long enough to span three of the aligned slits 12 in the panel. At correspondingly spaced points on the rod 13 are rigidly secured such as by welding, three parallel hook members 14 extending at substantially right angles therefrom. The hook members are shown as welded to the upper side of the rod 13 and as merging into rearwardly extending retainers 15 formed by bending the mounting end of the hook members at substantially right angles transversely of the carrier rod and then laterally as best shown in FIG. 1. The lateral portion 15' of each retainer extends parallel to the carrier rod 13 and corresponds in length to the distance between the holes 12, and all of the lateral portions extend in the same direction, or toward the left as seen in FIG. 1.

The operation of uniting a hook assembly to the panel 10 is extremely simple. The lateral portion 15 of each retainer 15 is brought into registration with a slit 12 with the hook members extending upwardly as suggested in the case of the upper assembly in FIGS. 1 and 2, and then pressed through the slit as suggested in the case of the second assembly from the top. The hook members 14 are then swung downwardly causing the lateral portion of each retainer 15 to engage the rear face of the panel 10 in a line of contact above the slits 12 as shown in the case of the lowermost assembly in FIGS. 1 and 2. At the same time the carrier rod is brought into engagement with the front face of the card, making contact below the slits 12 thereof.

In this final movement of the hook assembly the hook members 14 are brought to position at substantially right angles to the face of the panel 10 so that perforated articles of merchandise 16 may be conveniently suspended from them. The exact shape of the projecting hooks is of secondary importance. As herein shown their tips are bent upwardly which tends to prevent accidental disengagement of the mechandise.

It will be seen that when once set up, the carrier rod 13 acts as a fulcrum for the hook members 14 with the retainers 15 acting as short lever arms. It is, of course, essential only that the carrier rod 13 and the lateral portion of the retainers bear an offset relation to each other, or are arranged to engage the opposite faces of the panel 10 on opposite sides of the slits 12. It will be apparent that with such an arrangement the more weight placed upon the hook members the tighter will the hook assembly grip the panel 10. It will also be noted that the reacting force against the panel from the weight of the load on the hook members 14 is distributed along the areas of contact between the carrier rod 13 and the lateral portions 15 of the hook members, and the opposite faces of the panel 10.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail an illustrative embodiment thereof, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A display device comprising a panel of resilient sheet material having spaced laterally aligned slits therein and a hook assembly including in its structure a carrier rod having hook members fastened thereto, spaced to correspond to the slits of the panel and each having an in tegral angular retainer including a laterally extending portion of such length as to pass through said slits, whereby the retainers may be forced through the slits and said laterally extending portions engage the back of the panel with the carrier rod in engagement with the front of the panel to hold the hook members at an angle thereto. 1

2. A display device comprising a panel of resilient sheet material having laterally aligned spaced slits therein, in combination with a hook assembly including in its structure a carrier rod in engagement with the front of the panel and having hook members fastened thereto and spaced to correspond to the spacing of said slits, each hook member merging at its lower end into a retainer having an angular portion located in position to be passed through a slit and engage the back of the panel along a line offset with respect to the carrier rod.

3. A display device as described in claim 2 further characterized in that all of the retainers have lateral portions that extend in the same direction from the hook members.

' an integral angular retainer extending through said opening and upwardly, said retainer including a laterally extending portion in engagement with the rear face of said panel above said opening and a carrier rod rigidly secured to the underside of said hook member parallel to said laterally extending portion resting against the front face of said panel below said openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 123,126 Howell Oct. 15, 1960 487,594 Ackerman Dec. 6, 1892 855,216 Andersen May 28, 1907 1,015,213 Shands Jan. 16, 1912 2,259,772 Owens Oct. 21, 1941 

